Machine foe



(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. B. WILLIX.

MAGHINB FOR APPLYING VERTICAL STAY WIRES IN WIRE FENCES.

Patented Ma1fi15, 1898.

ms cu, womumouwnsumufon u c 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

B. B. WIL-LIX. MACHINE FOR APPLYING VERTICAL STAY WIRES IN WIRE FENCES.

Patented Mar. 15, 1898.

1m. aWI W W Unrrnn STATES PATENT GFFICE.

ENOS B. WILLIX, OF DYSART, IOWA.

MACHINE FOR APPLYING VERTICAL STAY-WIRES IN WIRE FENCES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,569, dated March15, 1898.

Application filed December 10, 1896. Serial No. 615,245. (No model.)

To CI/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ENOS B. WILLIX, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Dysart, in the county of Tama and State ofIowa, have invented a new and useful Machine for Applying Vertical Stay-Wires in WVire Fences, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means or mechanismfor constructing a fence and in which the stability and positionin g ofsmooth fence wiresor strands are assured and sustained.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means formaking a fence by mechanically applying to smooth strands of a fencecross stays or wires, the body portions of which cross stays or wiresare twisted upon the strands.

My invention consists in the first instance in mechanically andautomatically combining with the smooth strands of a wire fencecrossstays, the body portions of which stays are twisted upon the saidstrands.

My invention consists, further, in a machine for applying the stays toand winding the body portions thereof upon the strands of the fence,which machine comprises revoluble twisting devices arranged to revolveabout the strands of the fence and means whereby the body portions ofthe stays are engaged by said revoluble twisting devices and caused towind upon and rigidly embrace and engage the strands.

My invention consists, further, in a twisting device comprising a shaftslotted laterally beyond its center and longitudinally its entirelength, means for driving said shaft revolubly, and a twisting orwinding bit mounted upon the said shaft and arranged to engage a w1re.

My invention consists,further, in a machine comprising a shaft, bearingsfor said shaft, a twister upon said shaft, the shaft, bearing,andtwister being slotted from one side beyond the axis of the shaft andtwister to admit a fencestrand, and means for revolubly moving the saidshaft and twister relative to a fencestrand.

My invention consists, further, in a twister or winding devicecomprising a head slotted laterally beyond the axis thereof, which headis recessed from and at right angles to the slot therein, a face-plateinclosing the recess and slotted coincident with the head and notchedcoincident with the recess in the head, but to a less degree, and aWinding-bit removably, replaceably, and adjustably mounted in the recessof the head and projecting over the slot in said head and arranged toengage a wire or a projection therefrom traversing the recess in thehead.

My invention consists, further, in a plurality of revoluble shafts, aplurality of gears arranged upon said shafts, driving-racks engagingsaid gears, means for actuating said racks and twisters or windingdevices mounted upon the shafts.

My invention consists, further, in the combination of a shaft slottedlaterally and longitudinally from end to end and from its peripherybeyond its center, a gear mounted upon said shaft and slotted coincidentwith the slot in the shaft, a winding device mounted upon said shaft andslotted coincident with the slot in the shaft and in the gear, and bearings whereby said shaft is revolubly mounted, which bearings are slottedcoincident with the slots in the shaft, gear, and winding device.

My invention consists, further, in the construction of a machinecomprising a frame, shafts mounted thereon, gears on the shafts,bearings connecting the shafts and frame, winding devices upon theshafts, and means for actuating the gears, the shafts, gears, windingdevices, and bearings being coincidently slotted for the insertion andremoval therefrom of fence-strands.

My invention consists, further, in the construction of a gear-wheel inhalves and provided with means for attaching said Wheel to a shaft,which wheel is slotted radially from its periphery to a point beyond itsaxis.

My invention consists, further, in a wheel diametrically divided andrecessed on the lines of division to form a slot from a point on itsperiphery to and beyond its axis.

. My invention consists, further, in the construction, arrangement, andcombination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims,and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is anelevation of a panel of the of applying the divided and recessedgearwheel to the slotted shaft. Fig. 7 is a rear elevation, and Fig. 8is an end elevation, of

one of the twisters or winding devices, Fig. 8 also showing the mannerof locating a stay in relation to the winding device for practical 7use. Fig. 9 is an elevation in detail of one of the bearings, which alsoserves as a guide to direct the approximation of the machine and thefence-strands.

In the construction of the fence illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and made,preferably, by the 1 machine hereinafter described the numerals l 10,11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 designate the fence wires orstrands, which may vary in size, number, and relative positionthemachine are supported, and this frame 3 may be varied in itsconstruction, shape, or appurtenances without regard to theillusattached a. plurality of stays 21 22, of like 5 ing, as desired.

To the strands above mentioned there are construction, which stays areillustrated and arranged to be wrapped around, upon, or twisted to thestrands of the fence.

In this application,.as illustrated in Figs. 1

and '2, the tongues are shown as being coiled 7 upon the strands of thefence and designated by the numerals 23. It will be'observed that thecoils 23 on the stay 21 project toward the stay 22 and that the coils 23on the stay 22 project toward the stay 21. The drawings illustratetheinvention in that manner, because it has been found by experiment tobe more convenient to apply two of the said wires to the strands of thefence simultaneously than separately, and it is not considered necessaryto illustrate the application of more than two of the stays to thefence-strands, and therefore this application is drawn and theillustration made to conform thereby to the idea that the machineapplies two stays simultaneously to the fence-strands.

In order to apply the stays to the fencestrands, it is desirable that amachine be provided, and when such machine is provided it is furtherdesirable to provide means for approximating and separating themachineand the strands in order that the machine may be adjustedrelative to the length of the fence or the fence fed to and taken awayfrom the machine.

With the above idea in view I have constructed a machine as illustratedin Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. In this machine as illustrated thenumerals 24 25 designate bars which are provided withtransversely-positioned grooves 26 27, arranged in alinement with eachother and at such distances of separation as it is desired the strandsof the completed fence shall be located. The strands of the fence arepositioned in the grooves 26 27, or if the bars 24 25 are omitted thesaid strands of the fence are connected at their forward ends to somemeans (not shown) whereby they may be advanced and are supported attheir rear ends, as coils of wire, upon mechanism whereby they may bepermitted to advance from the coil and be acted upon by the machinewhich applies the stays thereto. Positioned in a horizontal plane abovethe bars 24 25 or the horizontal plane of travel of the strands of thefence are a plurality of bearings 28, Fig. 9, which bearings areconnected at their upper ends by beams 29, which beams in turn areconnected by cross-bars 30. By this means a frame is formed by which theoperating elements of tration in this application, it being desired iherein only to showa means whereby the opdescribed in my application forUnited States i Letters Patent, Serial No. 615,244, filed December 10,1896, and pending concurrently l herewith. Reference to the aboveconcurrent application will disclose that each of the stays i is form edWith a plurality of laterally-extending and parallel-positionedtongues,which are erating devices of the machine may be supported to dothe work required of them.

The frame just described in practical use should be supported so as tobe lifted away from the horizontal plane or path of travel of thefence-strands or should be so arranged relative to the mechanismcontrolling the fence-strands as that said strands may be moved away orout of the horizontal plane of the frame, but it is believed to be thepreferable construction to suspend the frame relative to the wires, sothat it can be lifted clear therefrom. The bearings 28 are bifurcated intheir body and lower end portions and the extremities of the armsformingthe bifurcations thereof are beveled, rounded, or

chamfered in order that in the approximation of the bearings to thewires the extremities of the arms may have more expanse or spread tocompass and confine the strands against lateral movement. In acting uponor employing wire in the mechanical arts it has been found necessary tocontrol and limit the lateral movement of the wire at all times, sinceone of its inherent peculiarities is to buckle, bend, spring, warp,twist, and move about in different directions uncontrollably, save bymechanical engaging means. Mounted within and rotatable relative to thebearings 28 are shafts 31, the axes of which shafts are in verticalplanes coincident with the planes connecting opposite grooves 26 27, andsaid shafts are slotted their entire lengths and transversely beyond theaxes thereof, as indicated by the numerals 32. The shafts aresusceptible to such positioning, Fig. 4, as that the grooves thereinwill aline or register with the bifurcations of the bearings and bedirected downwardly.

secured by set-screws, if desired.

Mounted on the shafts 31 are gears 33, which gears are formed in halvesa b or diametrically divided and bossed at 34 35 36 37 with integralprojections,the projections or bosses being transversely apertured abovethe grooves of the shafts when said grooves project clownwardly toreceive bolts 38, whereby the separate sections a b of the gears maybeconnected and clamped to and upon the shafts. The gears may also bekeyed upon the shafts or The gearsections a b and the bosses thereon arerecessed opposite to the line of separation or diametrical line ofdivision of the gears to form a slot or groove 39 in the completed gearwhen attached to the shaft in alinement or registration with the groove32 of the shaft.

Since it sometimes occurs, as illustrated at the right end of Fig. 3,that the shafts 31 are arranged in such close relations as that thespaces between them are not so great as that of the diameter of thegears 33, it is desirable to locate the gears 33 in staggered relationsto each other alternately in the machine. The gears 33 are revolublydriven by racks 40 41, which racks are connected conjunctively to amotive power, in this instance a hand-lever 42, fulcrumed at one end ofthe machine and arranged for manual operation to reciprocate the racks.The racks are held down to and in engagement with the gears 33 by thecrossbars 30 of the frame or any other desired manner.

In each end of each of the shafts 31 there is mounted a twisting device,the twisting devices on one side of the machine being oppositelyarranged relative to the twisting devices on the other side of themachine. The twisting devices are identical in form. Therefore I willdescribe one only of them. A twisting head 43, made of a single block ofmetal, is countersunk or reamed out at one side, as shown by dottedlines in the left of Fig. 7 and by the dotted circle in Fig. 8, and inthe recess or depression thus formed one end por tion of the shaft 31 isinserted and secured rigidly by brazing or other secure fastening. Thehead 43 is slotted radially at 44 in alinement with the slot 32 of theshaft upon which said head is mounted and in alinement with the slot 39in the gear 33, also mounted upon said shaft. The interior of the head43 is provided with a recess or cavity 45, leading from the slot orgroove 44 rearwardly, as the machine is positioned in the firstinstance, entirely through the head. The recess 45 is shown in Fig. 7and outlined by dotted and solid lines in Fig. 8. The formation of theslot or groove 44 in the head 43 provides that the forward portion ofsaid head forms a hook, for convenience designated 46, and the lowerextremity of said hook is chamfered or beveled away from the groove 44to provide for the more'convenient positioning of the strand within thesaid groove, A face-plate 47 is mounted on the face of the head 430pposite to the end portion of the shaft 31, which engages said head andis made to conform in general contour to said head. A slot is formed inthe face-plate 47 coincident with the slot 44 of the head, with thisexception, that the slot in the face-plate is wider and the sidesthereof diverge more abruptly than do the sides of the slot in the head,and the forward side or hook portion of the face-plate is beveled awayfrom the slot therein along one side of said slot and over the topthereof. Anotch 48 is formed in the face-plate and connects with theslot therein and extends rearwardly therefrom, and the said face-plateis beveled on its interior from said notch rearwardly, as indicated bydotted line in Fig. 8.

The purpose of the beveling or chamfering of the outer corner of thefaceplate 47 adjacent to the slot in the face-plate and of the innercorner of the face-plate adjacent to and in the rear of the notch in theface-plate is to permit of the positioning of the tongue 49 of thestay-wire 21 or 22 in the notch and behind the face-plate and throughthe recess or cavity 45 of the head 43, and at the same time providethat said tongue and the stay of which it forms a part shall be twistedto the minimum degree. The face-plate 47 is secured to the head 43 bythe screws 50, located on opposite sides of the cavity in said head. Atwisting bit or plate 51 is positioned in the cavity of the head 43 andis inclined rearwardly and downwardly, the front edge of the bit 51being cut on a level to the planes of its top and bottom surfaces andcoinciding or registering with the rear of the slot 44. The bit 51 issecured to the head by a screw 52, traversing the lower portion of saidhead and seated in the said bit.

When the machine above described is practically employed in making thefence above described, the series of shafts and the gears and twistingdevices carried thereby are so arranged as that the slots therein aredirected downwardly and register with the slots or bifurcations of thebearings 28. The machine is then approximated to the strands of thefence, and said strands enter the bifurcations of the bearings 28 andare guided thereby into the slots and grooves of the gears 33, thetwisting devices, and the shafts 31. Two of the stay-wires 21 22 arethen thrust alongside of the twisting devices at either end of theshafts, so that their loops 61 inclose the strands seated approximatelyat the axes of the shafts and so that the tongues 49 of the said wireslie within the recesses 45 of the heads 43 and within the notches 48 ofthe faceplate and between the strands of the fence and the bits 51 ofthe twisting devices, the said bits 51 engaging beneath the said tonguesin close proximity to the axes of rotation of the shafts, as clearlyillustrated in Fig. 8. The racks 4O 41 are then moved in the directionof the arrow 53 in Fig. 3 to the limit of travel of the said racks,which limit of travel preferably is such as to permit of and cause threecomplete revolutions of the gears '33 and through said gears of theshafts and twisting devices. In the rotation of the Q shafts said shaftsrevolve about and upon the strands of the fence. In the rotation of thetwisting devices the bits 51 engage the tongues 49 and carry the samearound the strands to the formation of coils 23, as illus trated in Fig.1, the coils forming within the recesses or cavities 45 of the head 43.

When the coils are formed, by the Winding of the tongues around thestrands, the slots of the twisting devices are again in positions atwhich they started, and the machine is separated from the strands andstays and adj usted at the desired distance from the stays andreoperated, and during the period of adj ustment the racks are movedlongitudinally in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow53 in Fig. 3 and into the positions at which they started.

I claim as my invention- 1.. A machine for applying a stay to andwinding the body portions thereof upon the strands of a fence, whichmachine comprises twisting devioesarranged to revolve about the strandsof a fence, which revoluble twisting devices comprise shafts, heads, andbits, the

' heads being apertured transversely to receive the fence-stays andbits, whereby the body,

portions of the stays are engaged and caused to wind upon and rigidlyembrace and engage the strands. I

2. A twisting device comprising a shaft slotted laterally beyond itscenter and longitudinally its entire length, means for driving -I saidshaft revolubly, a twisting or winding head mounted upon said shaft, anda twisti ing or winding bit removably and replaceably mounted in saidhead and arranged to engage j a wire.

3. A machine comprising a shaft, hearings on said shaft, a twisting-headupon said shaft, the shaft, bearing and head being slotted from i oneside beyond the axis of the shaft and head to admit a strand, awinding-bit mounted in said head and extending to the slot therein, andmeans for revolubly moving said shaft and head relative to saidfence-strand, whereby the winding-bit is carried around the fencestrand.

4. A twister or winding device comprising a head, slotted laterallybeyond the axis thereof, which head is recessed from and at right anglesto the slot therein, a face-plate inclosing the recess and slottedcoincident with the head and notched coincident with the recess in thehead but to a less degree,

, from a point on the periphery of said wheel to and beyond its axis, incombination with a shaft similarly slotted and bosses 34, 35, 36, 37,fixed to and laterally extending from opposite sides of said wheel,which bosses are arranged to be rigidly connected by bolts 38 traversingsaid bosses on one side only of the axis of the Wheel to connect thehalves of the said wheel firmly to the shaft, the bosses also recessedon their lines of separation coincident with the slot in the wheel.

'6. In a machine of the class described, bars 24 and 25 provided withtransverse alining notches in their upper faces to receive and guidestrand-wires, a frame shaped and arranged for vertical removal andreplacement relative to said bars, bearings 28 on opposite sides of saidframe and projecting downwardly therefrom, which bearings are bifurcatedand tapered or spread at their lower ends, shafts 31 mounted forrotation in said bearings and slotted from end to end and from one sideto and beyond their axes, diametrically divided and slotted gear-wheelsmounted on said shafts, bosses fixed to the gear-wheel and clamped fastto the shafts,

which bosses are slotted coincident with the wheels, twisting-headsmounted on the shafts and transversely apertured to receive staywiresand slotted coincident with the shafts to receive strand-wires,winding-bits removably, replaceably, and adjustably mounted in theapertures of the winding-heads and extending to the slots therein, racksarranged for rectilinear reciprocation on the frame and 1 meshing withsaid gear-wheels, and means for operating said racks.

ENOS B. WILLIX.

Witnesses:

E. F. DoUGLAss, JACOB SIRRINE.

